– in the House of Commons at on 6 February 1939.
Mr George Garro-Jones
, Aberdeen North
asked the Prime Minister whether the present Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence is to have any duties or any staff additional to those which appertained to his predecessor; and whether the present Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is to have any staff and duties, and, if so, what duties other than that of representing the Defence Minister in this House?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
The arrangements in regard to these matters cannot be determined in detail until there has been an opportunity for discussion with the Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence who only reached this country on Saturday afternoon on his return from India.
Mr George Garro-Jones
, Aberdeen North
Has it been decided where these two Ministers will be housed? Will they be housed under the same roof?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
If the hon. Member means whether they will have offices under the same roof, the answer is "Yes"
Mr George Garro-Jones
, Aberdeen North
While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for his superior choice of words, may I ask him whether he can assure the House that the staff provided for these Ministers will be more effective than that given to their predecessor who has now left that office?
Mr Neville Chamberlain
, Birmingham, Edgbaston
That would be impossible.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The Chancellor - also known as "Chancellor of the Exchequer" is responsible as a Minister for the treasury, and for the country's economy. For Example, the Chancellor set taxes and tax rates. The Chancellor is the only MP allowed to drink Alcohol in the House of Commons; s/he is permitted an alcoholic drink while delivering the budget.
